Hamilton County's Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit Ripped By Police Auditors: Report RENU Cops Strayed Over State Lines

Cincinnati Audit Questions RENU Tactics

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- After years of staffing a countywide drug task force called RENU, the Cincinnati Police Department abruptly ended its participation last week.  Now the reason for removal of the nine city cops is becoming clear.  An audit of Cincinnati's law-enforcement operations discovered evidence that RENU officers appear to have operated out-of-state where they lack legal jurisdiction.  The audit did not offer any details, nor did it pinpoint any geographic locations.  But it raised the specter of a rogue agency exceeding its authority.  RENU has been under command of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, where it is seen as highly effective.  But Strategic Policy Partnership -- the national consulting firm that conducted the audit -- recommended that the city quit the county task force and reassign its officers to the police department's vice squad.  The full text of the 114-page audit is available by clicking here.   RENU is discussed on page 78:

"The Department has had a long-standing involvement with a County Drug Task Force called RENU. A substantial number of departmental police officers are assigned to the task force, addressing vice problems in Cincinnati and the surrounding area. Some of the activity is within Cincinnati and thus leads to conflicts between the Cincinnati Police Department's Vice Unit and the operations of RENU, as those operations are not always coordinate.

"There have also been indications that members of the RENU team have acted out of state without clear authority.

"As the Vice Unit is being restructured under the interim reorganization, and numerous officers are being moved to Districts, it is wise for the Department to consolidate drug investigations that remain centralized with those of the task force. Thus, we suggest that the Department no longer participate in the task force, allowing some of those officers to be reassigned to the reconstituted Vice Unit. The Unit should seek federal standing, partnering with ATF and/or DEA, permitting them to legally follow leads across the state border."

What is disturbing to some, The Daily Bellwether has been told, is the implication is that RENU somehow engaged in activities that could be illegal.  The audit report could open the door to litigation or investigations.  Or fishing expeditions by defense lawyers.  At this point, nobody is sure what, if anything, is coming over the suggestion RENU appears to "have acted out of state without clear authority."


City officials have not talked about any of that in their public utterances about the police audit.  In fact, the topic hasn't been mentioned, nor have the Cincinnati newspapers and TV stations caught on.  (You can be sure they will be following up The Daily Bellwether's report today.)   Instead, the city's leaders have said the reforms recommended in the report will lead to improvements such as putting more cops on the streets.  From the press release about the audit:

"We are focusing on initiatives that support our commitment to community-oriented policing and to being more efficient and more responsive," said City Manager Dohoney. He and the Chief announced the audit would be a key first initiative when [James] Craig was hired to lead the department in July 2011.
The recommendations are inter-related and work together to emphasize neighborhood policing efforts, improve the quality and effectiveness of investigations, change the work environment for department staff, redesign the organizational structure, and invest in technology for efficiency."

Here's the link to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office description of RENU's law enforcement responsibilities